Better Left Forgotten
by SJAR-03
Summary: *Takes place after the first Leyton proposal failed* Peyton is involved in an accident, and suffers from amnesia, forgetting everything that happened after they graduated high school. Lucas & Peyton have both moved on, but Peyton can't remember her boyfriend, & Lucas can't help but be drawn back to the girl he is always saving. What will the outcome be? Will Peyton remember?
1. Mystery Of You

**A new story! Yay!**

When Lucas was woken up at two o'clock in the morning by the sound of his cell phone ringing a lump immediately rose in his throat. Getting phone calls this early morning were never a good sign. He checked the caller ID. It was Brooke. "What's wrong?" He asked, right away.

It was not hard to tell Brooke was upset on the other end of the line. "Lucas there was an accident."

"What kind of an accident?" Lucas asked, sitting up in bed.

"A car accident. Peyton."

"Peyton was in a car accident?" He was now on his feet, pulling on a pair of jeans. "Is she okay?"

"She is in at UCLA. It's bad Lucas. She may not make it."

"Shit. We need to get to her. I need to see her." Determination was evident in his voice as he grabbed a duffle bag from the closet. "Pack a bag. I'm going to be at your house in twenty minutes. Be ready." He closed his phone, and hastily shoved a handful of clothes in his bag, as well as some bathroom things. He was about to go out the front door when he was stopped by Madison.

He mentally kicked himself for forgetting she was there. Madison was his girlfriend of a year, and sometimes she slept over. Like tonight. "Where are you going, Luke?" She asked, sleepily.

"My friend Peyton was in a car accident. I have to go to LA. I'll be back tomorrow, okay?" He explained quickly.

"Peyton? As in ex-girlfriend Peyton?" Madison asked, uneasily.

"Yes." Lucas answered shoving his feet into a pair of sneakers, and grabbing his car keys. "She was in a bad accident, Brooke called and told me. She may not make it. I have to be there for her… and for Brooke."

Madison slowly nodded her head. "Of course. Do what you have to do. Call me when you get to LA?"

"I will." Lucas said, before letting Madison give him a quick kiss goodbye.

"I love you." Madison called after him, getting no response as he was already in his car, speeding down the dark street.

Lucas made a quick stop at a convenience store to fill up his gas tank, grab a box of tissues, and some Red Bull before picking up Brooke.

Brooke had seemed to calm down a bit now. Her eyes were puffy and red, but she wasn't crying anymore.

"Who called you and told you she in an accident?" Lucas asked, speeding along the highway. Traffic was light, and if it stayed like this for a few hours they could be at UCLA by sunrise.

"A nurse at the hospital. She said I was on her emergency contact list." Brooke sniffled.

"What exactly happened?" Lucas asked frustrated. How had Peyton wound up in a car accident?

"All she said was that Peyton had been in a head on collision. Peyton was a passenger in the car, and her friend had been driving." Brooke explained.

"God, this is crazy."

The pair sat in silence for a while, both trying to process what was going on now that they had time.

"Should I be going to LA to see her?" Lucas questioned, out of the blue. It had been on his mind the second they got on the highway. "I'm worried for her, and I want her to be okay… but should I actually be going to see her?"

"Of course! Why shouldn't you?" Brooke asked.

"Well… we haven't seen each other in three years. And the last time we did we didn't actually part on the best terms."

"You're talking about the proposal…"

"She turned me down in that hotel room, and then I just left her."

"I know." Brooke said sadly, recalling all the times Peyton had called her drunk and upset, missing Lucas.

"What if she gets angry?" Lucas asked, thinking worst case scenario… Although worst case scenario in his mind right now was not getting to see her at all.

"She isn't going to get angry. She misses you Lucas. I know that for a fact."

"Why? Does she ask about me?"

"About once a month. She'll just ask for a little update, and then that's it. But she does care about you a lot. She won't be angry to see you. She'll be happy. You're not making a mistake by going to LA either. So don't think like that." Brooke explained, trying to talk sense into the blonde boy.

Lucas nodded his head, hoping Brooke was right. He couldn't help but feel nervous knowing he was going to see her again in just a few short hours. He wanted her to be okay. He wanted to get to the hospital, and learn that she was okay, and that they had driven this whole way for nothing.

He and Brooke sat in silence for the majority of their road trip to LA, with Brooke dozing on and off, and sending text messages to Nathan and Haley to inform them that Peyton was in an accident.

Arriving at the UCLA Medical Centre was bitter sweet, as they had completed their journey, but they did not know what to expect once they got inside. Was Peyton alive?

Lucas led the way inside, keeping a reassuring arm around Brooke's shoulders. They approached the nearest nurse's station. "Hi." A young nurse smiled back at them. "How can I help you?"

"We're looking for our friend Peyton Sawyer. She was brought in last night after she was involved in a car accident." Lucas explained. "Someone from the hospital called and informed us."

The nurse knew who they were talking about right away, thankfully. "Ms. Sawyer is actually in recovery right now. If you'd like to follow me I can take you there, where you can talk to a doctor. You can't see her until she has been moved into a private room, however."

"That's fine. Yes, please take us there." Brooke said, thankful.

The pair followed the nurse up to the sixth floor of the hospital, and left them in a waiting area. When she came back an older man was following behind her. He was still wearing operating scrubs, and a medical mask hung loosely around his neck. "Friends and family of Peyton Sawyer I presume?"

"Yes. How is she?" Lucas asked, placing his hands on his hands. He braced himself.

"Peyton was brought in after she was involved in a head on collision with another vehicle. She was trapped in the vehicle, and they had to use the Jaws of Life to remove her safely. When she was brought in here she had lost extensive amounts of blood from a large head wound, and lacerations in her abdomen."

Brooke grabbed Lucas's hand.

"We operated on Peyton right away. We were able to stop internal bleeding, and then proceeded to perform brain surgery. Peyton has a fractured skull, which created too much swelling and pressure to build up, so we had to remove part of skull to give her some relief, and let the swelling run its course. Looking at the accident, I would say Peyton is a very lucky girl. She is heavily sedated, and we are unsure of when or if she will regain consciousness." The doctor explained.

"Wait. So you're saying... She is…" Brooke stumbled on her words.

Lucas was about to tell what she was thinking. "You're saying Peyton is in a coma?"

"Yes. She is." The doctor answered. "We need to give Peyton's body and mind time to heal, and when or if she is ready she will wake up. In the meantime, we are doing everything we can for her, and are keeping her comfortable. Would you like to see her? She has been moved to a private room now."

The two somberly nodded their heads. Lucas wasn't even sure how he was moving right now. Everything was a blur. This had to be a nightmare.

The doctor led them into a large hospital room. Lucas's eyes immediately found Peyton, who was laying in the bed near the window. She looked very peaceful; however she was hooked up to too many machines to count. Some of the machines were familiar to him, like the heart monitor and IV.

He neared the bed, and took everything in. Her head was heavily bandaged, and there were small cuts all over her face. She had a stitched laceration on her arm, and he could make out that there was lots of gauze covering her abdomen from her surgery. She was in rough shape, without a doubt.

He nervously reached out, and gently gripped her small hand. She looked so fragile among the tubes and machines, but he knew she was in there somewhere. His Peyton.

"I can assure you she is no pain." The doctor said, comfortingly.

"Good." Lucas said hoarsely.

"We're going to be monitoring Peyton very closely. The next seventy two hours are crucial. I'll leave you to be with her now. Just call for me if you have any questions or concerns." The doctor gave them a small smile, before quietly leaving the room.

Lucas pulled up a chair to be closer to Peyton's bedside, and Brooke sat on the edge of the bed, both being careful not to disturb or move anything.

Brooke reached out and held Peyton's hand that Lucas had been holding. "We're here ."

Lucas put his hand over Brooke and Peyton's hands. "Come back to us. Please be okay."

The friends sat with Peyton undisturbed listening to the steady beeping of her heart monitor. They didn't say anything. They just sat together. They had both been in their own little world until a disturbance taking place out in the hallway demanded their attention. Lucas got up to the go to the door, but it flung open before he could get there.

A young man burst in. He looked to be about their age. He was well dressed, with a good muscular build. He had a large gauze wad on his head, making Brooke and Lucas wonder what had happened to him, and why he was in Peyton's room causing a ruckus.

A police and nurse entered quickly after him. "Sir, we are not done questioning you." The officer said, sternly. He was clearly annoyed by the man.

"I told you I would finish answering your questions after I saw my girlfriend. Now can I please just have a minute?" He looked around the room, finally noticing Brooke and Lucas. "Who the hell are you guys?"

"We're her best friends. Who the hell are you?" Brooke asked, kicking into defensive friend mode.

Lucas stepped up. Did Peyton know this guy?

"I'm her boyfriend, Sean." The man said.

"We need to finish asking you questions about the accident . I'm sorry, but you'll have to come back when we are finished." The officer was trying to be patient now.

"Wait, we're you in the accident too?" Lucas asked, looking at Peyton and back to this man.

"Yes. I was driving." The man answer, ashamed of himself.

"I think you should go with that cop and finish asking questions. Peyton doesn't want to see the man who nearly got her killed. She is too busy fighting for her life right now." Lucas didn't know where his rudeness came from to talk to this man like that but he couldn't help it. He wanted him gone.

The man looked at Lucas, clearly pissed off. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped. Instead he walked over to Peyton's bedside and carefully placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll be back later, baby. I love you." He turned to leave the room, making sure he bumped into Lucas on his way out.

The nurse that entered the room with the officer apologized for the disturbance, before leaving them alone again.

Brooke looked to Lucas bewildered. "Peyton NEVER said anything about having a boyfriend." She was shocked Peyton didn't tell her.

"Well he doesn't exactly look like a winner." Lucas shrugged. He couldn't believe Peyton was dating this guy.

Lucas's blood was boiling. He also couldn't believe Peyton was in the hospital because of Sean.

"I think we have to be wary of Sean, Brooke. I don't like the guy."

**That's the end of the first chapter! Thoughts? I am EXICTED to write this! **

**Leave me a review! Thanks guys!**

**Next chapter: Takes place three days after the accident, Brooke & Lucas discuss Lucas's relation with his girlfriend Madison. Sean & Lucas butt heads when it comes to Peyton. Peyton wakes up, and takes everyone by surprise with who she asks to see!**


	2. Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean

**Chapter 2! Enjoy!**

The following few days trickled by slowly, but Brooke & Lucas never ventured far from Peyton's side.

They had gotten a hotel room and were sitting with Peyton in shifts for the most part, but spent the afternoons together by their friend's bedside.

After speaking with several officers and Sean for a bit they got the full story on what had happened the night of Peyton's accident.

Sean and Peyton had gone out for dinner one night, and when they were on their way back to their apartment Sean claimed a deer had jumped out into the middle of the road which caused him to swerve. Their car hit the guard rail, and tumbled up over it.

Sean's injuries were minimal compared to the unconscious Peyton. He had a small laceration on his forehead, slight concussion, and a few broken ribs.

Much to the relief of Brooke and Lucas, Peyton's condition was improving. She was stable, and no longer needed any blood transfusions. Her surgical incisions were healing fine. She just wasn't awake yet.

Sean usually visited once a day. He did not say much around Lucas or Brooke, and claimed that he did not like to come to the hospital because he hated seeing Peyton in a bed, unable to do anything, and because he felt guilty…claiming it was all his fault. And Lucas agreed, it was Sean's fault. Brooke showed a bit more mercy for the boy however.

It was a sunny afternoon in LA when Brooke arrived at the hospital with two extra large coffees. She entered Peyton's room, and found Lucas asleep. He was sitting in the chair he had pulled extra close to Peyton's bed, and was hunched over, holding her hand. Brooke couldn't help but smile. She set the coffee down, before deciding to wake him up.

Lucas lifted his head up, groggily. As soon as he saw it was Brooke who had woken him up he hesitantly pulled his hand away from Peyton's, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Brooke gave him his coffee. "Thanks." He said, before taking a large gulp. Coffee was his savior this week.

"I figured you were probably sleeping. I texted you five times, and never got a response!" Brooke said, getting comfy in her usual chair.

"Oh. Sorry!" Lucas said looking around the room. "I don't even know where my phone is!"

"It's right here." Brooke said, picking his phone up off the table. "Woah! Lucas! You have 13 text messages, and eight missed calls. From Madison!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Oh no. I better go call her." Lucas took his phone from Brooke and immediately dialed Madison's number."

Brooke shook her head watching him hurry out the door. "Oh my. What are we going to do with that boy?"

She turned her attention to the blonde now. She grabbed a little brush out of her purse, and combed through Peyton's curls. When she was finished, Lucas returned.

"How did that go?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, Madison isn't too thrilled with me right now, let's just say that." Lucas explained.

"She isn't too happy about you gluing yourself to your ex-girlfriends bedside? Weird!"

"Brooke. Stop. If this was the other way around she'd be doing the exact same thing we are. It's just that Madison didn't expect me to be here for long… and I guess it's not like we planned on being here for a week either. But it is what it is. And I am not leaving until she wakes up."

"You're a good guy, Luke. And I know I've said that before but you just keep proving me right again and again."

"Thanks Brooke." Lucas smiled.

"So, how long have you and Madison been together now? Two years?"

"No, just one and a half." Lucas clarified.

Brooke nodded her head. "So do you think you'll give her a ring soon? Or move in together or something?"

Lucas stayed silent for a moment before answering. "I don't know. Those are big commitments."

"They are."

"And Madison is a great girl and everything. But I don't think I am ready for anything like that."

"Do you still love her?"

"Of course I love Madison!" Lucas said, exasperatedly.

"I'm not asking about Madison, and you know I'm not."

"I love Peyton. But as a friend." Lucas said, sadly.

"Are you sure? You can tell me the truth Lucas. You know you can."

"We have both moved on. If we were meant to be together she would have said yes to me when I asked her to marry me. But she didn't, and we both went our separate ways. And now she dates some dumb ass who almost got her killed, and I am dating Madison. And it is what it is. We've both made our choices. I'm not saying that it isn't hard to be here with her, because it is. I hate how we left things, and I think about it every day. And I can't help but wish sometimes that things were different. That we lived in a house in Tree Hill together. And that I could wake up beside her every morning, and that we'd eat breakfast together. And then kiss each other good bye when we went to work. Then I would count down the hours until I get to go home and see her again. Yes, I miss her. And yes, I love her. But not in the way I used to." Lucas finished his ramble, breathless.

"I'm sorry, Luke."

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong."

Brooke wasn't exactly convinced by his answer though. He clearly must still have feelings for Peyton, but was denying them to himself. However, she decided that she would let the topic go. It probably hurt Lucas to see Peyton with someone else.

Lucas went home for the rest of that afternoon, and Brooke stayed with Peyton. She answered emails, and made calls, and was giving Victoria careful instructions on what to do with their store in Tree Hill while she was away.

Lucas gladly fell into the king bed in his hotel room, and fell into a somewhat restless sleep for the remainder of the afternoon.

When he woke up his room was dark, with just a little light streaming in through the blinds of the window. The streets outside sounded very busy though, so Lucas enjoyed his quiet room. He reached over to check his phone, as he often did when he woke up and wasn't at the hospital. He wished he could get a text from Brooke saying Peyton was awake, and well. However, tonight he did not get that. There was a text from Madison asking him to call her again, and one from Nathan asking how things were.

He shot his brother a text to say there was no change, before he got in the shower. He felt fresh and awake as he dressed. He stopped at a convenience store on his way back to the hospital, and grabbed some Red Bull before returning to the hospital room.

Brooke was awake and looking through fashion magazines when he got there. She set the article down when he entered though, with a concerned look on her face.

"You've got this look on your face like you don't want to tell me something…" Lucas said, warily.

"Sean was here about an hour ago. He said he wants to stay with Peyton tonight, and that you and I should both go back to Tree Hill. I brushed him off though, but he is going to be back." Brooke explained.

"That guy is a joke Brooke. He is barely ever here, and I don't trust him." Lucas admitted.

'Has the doctor been in tonight?" Lucas asked, deciding to change the topic.

"Yeah. He said there's no change. I'm worried Luke. What if she doesn't wake up?"

"She's going to wake up, Brooke. It's Peyton." Lucas said, putting a reassuring hand on her arm.

He moved to sit down on the edge of the bed, when someone else entered the room, noisily and clumsily.

It was Sean.

"Don't get too comfy there, Scott. I am staying tonight. Not you." Sean said, matter of factly. He tossed a bag on the couch beside Brooke, before going and giving Peyton a light kiss on her forehead.

"I told you before, you don't have to." Brooke answered.

"And I told you before that I am staying. And that's that."

"What if Peyton wakes up? Wouldn't it be better if she saw a familiar face like Lucas or I?" Brooke tried to reason.

"You think you two will be a familiar face for her?" Sean scoffed. "She hasn't seen you in what… two years, Brooke? And Scott… I have NEVER heard of you before!"

"Funny because Peyton never said a word about you either." Lucas answered smartly. His blood was starting to boil.

"I don't believe that for a second." Sean disagreed. "You all have some nerve coming in here acting like you own the place… Like you know her…"

"We DO know her." Lucas said, stepping dangerously close to Sean with clenched fists.

"Ooh, am I making you angry? I bet you want to hit me right now, don't you?" An evil smile spread across Sean's face. "Hit me! Do it!"

Brooke pulled Lucas away a little. "He wants you to hit him. Don't give in because then you will get thrown out."

The three adults stood in the room bickering. They hadn't realized how loud they were being until a small voice in the room spoke up.

"Stop fighting."

Everyone stopped, and turned to look at the bed. Peyton was squirming in the bed, looking agitated as she tried to open her tired eyes. The medicines and pain killers that had been pumped through her body these past few days made waking up seem like a daunting task.

"I'm going to get a doctor." Brooke said, quickly running from the room.

Sean went and stood right by Peyton's head, while Lucas hung back at the foot of the bed.

"Peyton… baby? Can you hear me?" Sean asked, with a fake sweetness in his voice.

Peyton's eyes slowly fluttered open, and confused eyes stared back at Sean.

Brooke, Peyton's doctor, and a nurse quickly entered. The nurse began checking stats, while the doctor went directly to Peyton.

"Hello Peyton. My name is Doctor Graves. Do you remember what happened?" The doctor asked calmly.

"No." Peyton answered shortly, with a raspy voice.

The doctor looked to Lucas and Peyton. "A little memory loss is common with this kind of injury." He looked back to Peyton. "Peyton you were in a car accident. Do you know where you are?"

"Tree Hill." Peyton answered, eyeing Sean warily. "Do you know where my boyfriend is?"

Brooke and Lucas shot worried glances at each other. Was Peyton playing a joke on them, or did she really think she was in Tree Hill?

Sean took Peyton's hand. "I'm right here."

Peyton pulled her hand away quickly. "Where is my boyfriend? Who are you?"

Sean's smiled dropped. "I'm Sean… your boyfriend."

"No you aren't." Peyton stated, confused. "Lucas is my boyfriend. Is he here? I really need to see him. He is probably worried." Her eyes stung with tears, and Brooke could tell her best friend was scared.

"He's right here, ." Brooke spoke up, nudging Lucas to go to Peyton.

As Lucas happily shoved Sean out of the way Peyton finally noticed Brooke and Lucas were here. "Hi." The blonde said, tiredly.

"Hey." Lucas said, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

Sean looked around the room angrily. "Doctor Graves, what the hell is going on here?" He yelled.

Peyton looked to Lucas. "Why is he so angry?"

"I'm angry because I AM YOUR BOYFRIEND. Not him!" Sean stated.

"No you're not." Peyton said, gripping Lucas's hand. "I'm dating Lucas Scott."

Doctor Graves decided it was time to step in. "Peyton, do you know what year it is?"

"2007."

The room was silent.

"What's going on?" Peyton asked, looking to Lucas and Brooke.

"Peyton the car accident was very serious. You have a fractured skull. We performed brain surgery; however you have been in a coma for the last week. There may be some memory loss. I'd like to do some testing right away, if that is okay with you." Doctor Graves explained.

Peyton nodded her head, shell shocked. She had no idea what was going on right now.

"Okay." Doctor Graves looked to Lucas, Brooke, and Sean. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You can come back in once we've completed our tests."

Lucas was hesitant to leave his "girlfriend", but knew he had to. "I'll be back, okay?" He smiled.

Peyton gave him a small smile, before letting go of his hand. "I love you."

Lucas's hearts clenched at hearing her say those words. He kept his head down, and followed Brooke out into the hallway, with Sean behind him staring daggers into his back.

Doctor Graves spent the next hour testing Peyton, and telling her everything that had happened concerning the car accident.

It felt like a long hour for the three people who sat outside in an uncomfortable silence.

When the nurses finally left the room, and Doctor Graves came out he gave them an anxious look. "The memory loss is significantly worse than I had first anticipated."

"What does that mean?" Sean asked, clearly worked up. "She doesn't even know I am her boyfriend."

"After speaking and testing with Peyton for the last hour I have gathered that she does not remember anything that has happened from the year she graduated high school and onward."

Brooke's jaw dropped, as she looked to Lucas. "That's why she thinks you're her boyfriend… she doesn't remember the proposal! She thinks you guys are still together!"

Lucas was shocked. "She must be so confused in there."

"She is clearly confused, and will need you three to help and fill in the blanks on what has happened in her life from these past few years. That is, if you can all stop bickering enough to explain it to her."

The group remained silent.

"Take things slow with her however, and be patient. We do not want to overwhelm her or anything like that."

"We can do that." Lucas agreed, anxious to go back and see Peyton.

"Okay. Well, I will be back to check on her as soon as I can. Please remember what I said." Doctor Graves gaze rested on Sean for a moment before he left.

"Okay… Let's go tell Peyton about her life." Brooke said in an oddly cheerful voice. She couldn't help but view this as a blessing in disguise. She was going to do everything she could to help and get Lucas and Peyton back together.

**What did you think? Leave me a review! Hope to post an update soon!**

**PS. Peyton thinks it is 2007 because that is when season 4 (their grad year, aired on TV!)**

**The next chapter is going to answer questions that you may have about what everyone has been up to in the missing years!**


	3. You're Gonna

Peyton watched Doctor Graves leave the room to go and speak with her friends. Her head was reeling, and she had an awful headache but she wasn't going to be able to sleep right now. In front of her sat a list that she and Doctor Graves had composed of important things that had happened in her life, as well as facts to pinpoint where her memories stopped.

The list wasn't too long, and mainly had high school memories on it. The list was in bullet point form and included her mother and Ellie dying, the school shooting, Keith dying, dating Pete Wentz (that was something she was glad she remembered, although she wasn't sure the doctor believed her), Psycho Derek attacking her twice and meeting her real brother, the Ravens winning the State Championship and finally getting together with Lucas, and then graduating high school. Her last clear memory she has is sitting with Lucas down at the River Court being very excited to move to LA.

She had a few items that she just could not wrap her head around. Lucas wasn't her boyfriend, as much as her heart and head told her she was dating him. Now she was dating Sean, which puzzled her. She couldn't remember a thing about the man, and he seemed a bit aggressive.

Peyton was pulled out of her thoughts by the door to her room opening. Brooke popped her head in. "Can we come back in P. Sawyer?"

Peyton nodded her head. "Of course."

"How are you feeling?" Lucas asked, taking a seat on the couch in front of the window. Brooke and Sean sat on either side of the bed. She wished Lucas were sitting beside her instead of Sean the Stranger.

"I'm okay. A have a little headache, but it's fine." Peyton responded.

"So I am thinking I should stay with you tonight, eh babe? Does that sound good?" Sean offered, taking her hand.

Peyton couldn't help but pull back. She turned to Lucas and Brooke. "So you're going to have fill in some pretty big blanks here." She tried to make light of the situation, but they honestly were.

Brooke laughed. "Well, where do we even start?" She looked to Lucas.

"Well…" Lucas cleared his throat. "After graduation you moved to LA, and got a job at a recording studio, and stayed there and slowly worked your way up the ladder."

"What's the name of the studio? What's my job?" Peyton asked, excitedly.

"The Purple Banana. You're a runner for them…" Sean chimed in.

"The Purple Banana? You have got to be kidding me! What kind of a name is that! And what do you mean a runner? Like I get them coffee, and photocopy stuff?" Peyton asked, appalled.

"It's a big label." Lucas said, encouragingly. He usually found himself online late at night reading about the successes of the label. It was good, it was just a shame that it was hard for Peyton to make it big there, when she had more potential than anyone.

"Oh my god… This is even worse than finding out I have amnesia." Peyton placed a hand on her head.

"Don't joke like that." Brooke scolded.

"I'm not!" Peyton responded. "Tell me something good. Nathan and Haley… what do you they do?"

"Well Haley is a teacher in Tree Hill, and Nathan was just drafted into the NBA last month! He plays for the Charlotte Bobcats!" Brooke said, happily.

"What? That's great news! How old is Jamie now?"

Lucas smiled happily, he was glad Peyton remembered Jamie. "He's five."

"Wow. That's amazing. And you guys… Tell me what you do. Brooke you go first!"

"Well I own Clothes Over Bros of course. It all really started in New York City, and the business kept getting bigger and bigger. Victoria and I run it together… sort of. I'm her boss."

"So you live in New York?"

"No, I surprisingly live in Tree Hill once again. And it's because of you."

"Me? What did I do?"

"You called me one night, and made me realize how much I missed that crazy little town. So I boycotted a trip to Milan, and moved back to Tree Hill. I have a shop there now that I work from."

"Wow, Brooke Davis! Look at you go! I'm proud of you!"

"Thanks !" Brooke beamed.

Peyton looked to Lucas now. "Your turn."

Lucas smiled shyly. "Well I of course live in Tree Hill too. And I coach the high school basketball team."

"You're the new Whitey!" Peyton cheered.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I don't keep any scotch in the top drawer of my desk like he did though."

"Lucas is also working on his second novel." Brooke added.

"Second? You got your book published?" Peyton asked surprised.

Lucas nodded his head. "The Unkindness of Ravens is now a New York Times best seller."

"You guys!" Peyton wiped at her eyes. "This is all really great news!"

Sean sat beside Peyton with a serious expression. He didn't bother to follow the conversation, because he didn't care. He didn't know these people and he didn't want to. He was pissed off. Lucas and Brooke walked in, and now they were practically on the verge of sweeping Peyton away with them, and he was someone she didn't even remember. He was tired of listening to them talk. It was his turn now. "Shelley called me earlier this morning to see how you were."

Peyton turned to look to him, confused. "Whose Shelley?"

Sean mentally kicked himself. Of course she wouldn't remember Shelley. "Crap. She's my sister. I'm sorry. I forgot you wouldn't remember…"

"So Sean… How did you and Peyton meet?" Lucas asked, interested.

"At a Cure concert actually. Last winter." Sean began. "I was at the front row, and she was right behind me, squeezing her way in. We have been inseparable ever since."

Peyton's jaw dropped, and she looked to Lucas. "You hated the Cure! I bet I thought of you the whole time!"

Lucas laughed. "I'm still not a fan!"

Sean rolled his eyes, which Lucas noticed right away. He wanted to say something, but bit his tongue instead.

"How long have you guys been in town?" Peyton asked.

"Since we found out about the accident… Lucas drove all night to get here. And I slept and cried. I was awful company."

"About the accident… what happened exactly? Was I alone?" Peyton asked, curiously. How had she wound up in an accident in the first place?

"We'll let Sean answer that one." Lucas said, and everyone turned to look at Sean.

"Well… we went out for dinner and when we were on our way home there was a deer in the middle of the road. I swerved to miss it, and hit a guard rail. I'm sorry." Sean looked down at the floor.

"I was with you? You were driving?" Peyton asked, not knowing what to feel. Mad? Sad? Forgiving?

"What matters is that you're still here. And you're with us." Lucas said, reassuringly.

Peyton looked to Sean, who was gazing intently at her. He leaned in closely. "I really am sorry."

Peyton was sure that last week kissing Sean would have seemed normal to her, but this week it wasn't. This week she didn't even know who he was. So when he leaned in to place his lips on hers she panicked. She jerked her head away, and Sean looked back at her hurt. "Baby… you don't want to kiss me?"

"Listen…" Peyton knew she had to just be honest with him. "I'm sure you're a nice guy and everything but I don't know you. In my mind I'm dating Lucas… not you. So please don't try and kiss me again."

"Peyton…" Sean sat beside her again and tried to take her hand which she pulled away from.

Lucas stood up immediately. "I think you should go. Maybe you can come back tomorrow."

"Scott, you're not her boss." Sean glared.

"No, he's my boy-…friend. Lucas is my friend. Listen to him, and please get out of my room." Peyton said with a shaky voice.

"Fine." Sean grabbed his jacket and shrugged it on. "I'll be back tomorrow." He left quickly, and slammed the door on his way out.

Peyton let out a heavy sigh when he was gone. "Woah."

"You got yourself a winner there, Peyton." Brooke said.

Peyton shot her an annoyed look before leaning back into the pillows and closing her eyes.

"I bet you're tired. We should probably head back to the hotel." Lucas said, reluctantly.

"You're probably right." Brooke said standing up. She walked over to Peyton and embraced her tightly. "Everything is going to be just fine, . I promise. Get some rest, and everything will be a little clearer tomorrow. Okay?"

"I love you Brooke." Peyton said, thankful for her best friend.

"I love you too." Brooke turned to Lucas. "Coming?"

"Yeah. I'll meet you in the hallway." Lucas said.

Brooke smiled. "Okay." She quickly left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Lucas looked at Peyton. "Are you sure you'll be okay here alone tonight?" Concern was evident in his voice.

"Oh yeah…" Peyton smiled. "You and Brooke both look like you need some serious sleep."

"It's no big deal. I can stay with you tonight if you want. Really, I will." Lucas offered again.

Peyton mulled the offer for a moment. "Actually, I'd really like it if you stayed the night. It'd mean a lot to me."

"Ok. Great. It's decided then. I'll go tell Brooke. I'll be right back."

Lucas pretty much skipped out of the hospital room to find Brooke leaning up against the nurses station waiting for him. "Where's your jacket?" She asked.

"I'm going to stay with her tonight. You know… just in case anything happens."

Brooke broke into a smile. "Right… How sweet of you."

"I know what you're thinking, but don't get any ideas Brooke. Seriously."

Brooke put her hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm not thinking anything. You and Peyton are just two ex-lovers with a very rich and extensive history that Madison has nothing to worry about, right?"

"I hate it when you say things like that." Lucas said. "Stop. I'm just being a good friend. Come back in the morning, and hang out with us. Okay?"

"Of course. I'll see you then." Brooke said, giving him a playful. "Have a good night."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh as she walked away.

When Lucas walked back into Peyton's room he was not surprised to see she was already sleeping. He turned off the lights, and sat down in the chair Brooke had been in only moments ago. He tried to get as comfy as possible, and shut his eyes.

"Just get in the bed." Said Peyton's sleepy voice. She careful moved to one side of the bed, being cautious of her stitches.

Lucas didn't need to be asked twice. He crawled in beside Peyton, and instinctively looped his arms around her small waist, and buried his face into her blonde curls.

"This feels right." Peyton said, quietly.

"It does." Lucas agreed.

The only sound in the room for a few moments was the steady beeping of Peyton's heart monitor.

"I was really scared I was going to lose you again, Peyton."

Peyton twisted in the bed so she could look into Lucas's blue eyes. "I'm here. And I'm okay." She rested her forehead on his and took a deep breath. "What happened between us, Lucas?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did we break up? We should be together right now…" Peyton admitted.

"I know." Lucas pulled Peyton in closer to him, and let his heart make the next move. He slowly put his lips to hers, and gave her a gently, slow kiss. It was perfect, and she returned it with a sweet kiss too.

"I'm sorry I scared you."

"Don't do that to me ever again, Peyton." He cuddled her closely.

"I won't." Peyton promised, resting her head on his chest, and letting her eyes shut. She fell into a content sleep, and so did he.

When Peyton opened her eyes the next morning the sunlight was beaming in through her windows. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and looked around the room quickly. "Lucas?" She called out. He wasn't there. A small note on her bedside table caught her eye. She picked it up, and read it.

_Peyton,  
Went out to get us some breakfast. Doctor Graves said you can eat real food now! Be back soon.  
- Lucas _

She smiled, and closed her eyes again. Sleep consumed her again.

When Lucas walked back into Peyton's room he did not expect to find Sean there.

The scene in Peyton's room was clearly tense. Peyton was sitting upright in her bed, with tears brimming her eyes. Sean was sitting at the foot of the bed with a large box in front of him. It was clearly a memory box that he had brought in, in an attempt to make her remember things. In the box were a number of photographs, notes, and other little things.

Sean was holding up a picture of them at a beach when Lucas entered. "Don't you remember this day? You wanted to go to that beach so badly!"

Peyton shook her head. "For the hundredth time, NO! I don't remember any of this stuff."

"What's going on in here?" Lucas asked, setting his stuff down. "Do you not remember what the Doctor said? We are supposed to be patient with her, and not force any memories on her. You're not exactly following orders."

"Listen here asshole, I have really had enough of you. It's so easy for you to walk in here like you own the place and be so okay with her condition because she remembers you! If this were the other way around, what would you be doing?" Sean asked, aggressively.

"I wouldn't be forcing her to remember things to she can't!" Lucas said, defensively.

"You just want her to love you again…"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Lucas said, getting angry.

"Yes I do. My girlfriend's memory is gone, and she wakes up thinking you're her boyfriend… I know you want her. I see how you look at her."

"Don't call me your girlfriend. We're not together, okay?" Peyton said sternly.

"Oh you have got to kidding me." Sean yelled. "This is stupid." He tossed his box to his side, emptying the contents everywhere.

"Don't get mad at me. This is your fault. You were the one driving. You ruined everything!"

Sean looked at Peyton, angrily. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lucas punched him before he could say another word.

He fell to the floor, and felt a crunch in his nose. Blood was gushing and he knew right away his nose was broken. "You broke my fucking nose."

"Get the hell out of here, and don't come back." Lucas said, pointing to the door.

Sean didn't say anything as he slowly got up, and walked out of the room.

Lucas quickly hurried to Peyton's side. She was full on crying now, not holding back any tears. He rubbed her back, comfortingly. "You're life isn't ruined Peyton."

"What if I never get my memory back, Lucas?" Peyton asked in between heavy sobs.

"I have high hopes that you will… but if you don't then what's the big deal? You remember all the important people right? Me! Brooke! Nathan and Haley! And you'll forget about the assholes like Sean forever!" Lucas joked.

"I want to remember Lucas. I want to remember everything."

"You will. Just give it some time. Okay?"

Peyton didn't say anything, and only clung to Lucas tighter. "Thank you for being here, Luke."

"You're welcome, Peyt." He kissed the top of her head, and pulled her gently onto the bed into a relaxing position. They laid there for the remainder of the morning, holding each other.

It was late afternoon when Brooke arrived at the hospital, flustered. She had been kept up late the previous night on the phone with Victoria about the company, and had over slept big time. Peyton was clearly in good hands though, and looked quite content with Lucas, and vice versa.

Lucas filled her in on his altercation with Sean, which excited and relieved Brooke. She didn't like Sean, and didn't want him to be around Peyton anymore.

Doctor Graves checked in with Peyton early that evening. He entered smiling. "Well Peyton you have made remarkable progress. Your surgical incisions are well healed, and your head wound is fine, despite the memory loss. I do believe you will be able to be released from the hospital tomorrow."

"Wow. That's great news. Thanks Doc." Peyton smiled, anxiously. She was ready to get out of these very restricting four walls.

"I would recommend you get out, and go for a walk now. Roam the hallways, and stretch your legs a bit. You've been in this bed for over a week now!"

Peyton nodded her head. "I will."

Lucas moved and grabbed the IV pole she was connected to. "We'll go for a walk right now. C'mon Peyt." He held his hand for her.

She took it, apprehensively. She sat up, and carefully swung her legs around to touch the floor, and stood up. At first her legs were like jello, and Lucas placed a hand around her waist for support, and Brooke was there for motivation.

"So, where are you going to go when you get released?" Brooke asked.

"Umm. I'm not sure. Sean gave me the keys to my old apartment today. So I have that. Speaking of which he gave me my cell phone back too. We can all exchange numbers too."

"What about going back to Tree Hill?" Lucas suggested, trying not to sound too excited. He wanted to play it cool.

"I never even thought of that. My dad sold the house pretty much right after graduation though… I remember that. So I'd have to find a place there."

"Hello! You could live with me! I have a two bedroom house all to myself. I think it'd be great! Like a slumber party that never ends!"

Peyton and Lucas laughed at Brooke's excitement. "I will definitely consider that Brooke. Thank you."

"It seems logical though, doesn't it? It's a familiar place with people you actually remember." Lucas agreed.

"I will think about it guys, I promise." Peyton smiled, tiredly.

Lucas picked up on her fatigue right away. "Let's go back to the room. My laptop is here. We can watch a movie." He suggested.

"That sounds perfect." Peyton said, letting Lucas loop his arm around her waist again, and lead the way back to the room.

When they got there a woman she didn't remember was sitting on the edge of her bed. "Do I know you? You'll have to forgive me. I have a short memory." Peyton said with a light tone.

Brooke looked a little shocked, and apprehensive.

"Ah. No you don't. He does though." The girl said pointing to Lucas.

Lucas slowly let go of Peyton, and put some distance between them. "Peyton this is Madison Moore. My girlfriend."

"Oh." Was the only word Peyton could form as the little ground she had left fell out from underneath her, and her legs buckled forward. She knew the ground was growing closer to her, but she couldn't do anything about it now.

Lucas reached out and caught her before she hit the ground, and quickly picked her up, and put her on the bed. "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Everything is dizzy…" She said, putting a hand to her temple. Her chest began to get tighter, and breathing became harder to do.

"Peyton." Brooke said, appearing in front of her.

"Brooke, I can't breathe…"

**Woah! This literally took me all day! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Where do you think Peyton will go when she is released? Will she stay in LA, or go back to Tree Hill? Have we seen the last of Sean? Probably not haha.**

**Leave me some reviews! xo**


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